Goodimg_200352_g8000_4

Good battery life

Reception is good

Loud speakerphone

Bad

Screen flickers when keypad is used

Keypad is a bit awkward

Here’s another mobile phone company that has found space is the ever increasing Indian market. The company’s name is Olive, it’s as unique as any other and the V-G8000 or Olivemsgr (for messenger) is one of their lower end devices designed for very, very basic usage.

Form Factor

The handset is in no way an original design but can’t be dismissed as a cheap copy either even if the price is really low. Think of it as a Hindi movie that was remade from some popular Hollywood film. It may not be of the same quality but Indian audiences may love it. The 2.2-inch TFT color display is comfortable to view and the navigation system is simple with short cut keys to the phone book and messaging menu. The QWERTY keypad will take quite a bit of getting used to as the segregated buttons have a rather uncomfortable feel. A mini USB styled port for the charger and handsfree is located at the bottom.

Features and Performance

Interface

The G8000 is not designed for those looking for a handset that has a lot to offer in terms of features. It’s strictly basic and offers nothing more than simple text messaging and making and taking calls. It’s not a Dual SIM handset, has no camera, no media player and no support for extending the memory. The handset has very limited capabilities therefore the Java UI doesn’t need to do too much so it’s relatively quick when it comes to accessing the meager amount of features. It does unfortunately have one major issue. Each time the keypad is used for anything, be it texting or navigation the screen tends to flicker. It’s not necessary a big deal but one tends to wonder why.

Media

The singular media feature the G8000 is equipped with is the FM radio. Thankfully it carries out this function quite well. Reception was clear enough in most areas and the bundled handsfree is comfortable to use.

Misc. Features

Like I said the G8000 is an extremely basic handset and the paltry feature set includes a Calculator, Alarm clock and a Calendar that doesn’t even allow you to create schedules or reminders. It’s really that simple. It does have a couple of games preloaded which include Minesweeper if you’re feeling a bit nostalgic. The speakerphone is extremely loud and quite handy for handsfree calling. The preloaded ringtones are quite obnoxious and can get really annoying if you work in a quiet office, or not. Be advised you could have office supplies flung at you, – I found out the hard way.

Battery

Olive has obviously designed the G8000 with such a simplistic tone to ensure that users get the very best out the battery. The 1500 mAh battery should be more than capable of over 5 hours of battery life which is definitely a good thing.

The Bottom Line

The keyword here is simplicity, just like those old handsets at the dawn of the mobile era. The G8000 tries to offer its users basic functions that are streamlined enough to do only what man initially intended the mobile handset to do – always be contactable anytime anywhere. It’s a few steps above a pager and in a way a little refreshing without all the unnecessary options. It’s priced at Rs. 2,299 (MOP) which is reasonable but there are better options from branded companies to choose from. The G8000’s flickering display and slightly uncomfortable keypad don’t make for a good sales pitch either.